Birthday Presents and Kisses
by Twix10
Summary: Rukia takes Renji out to talk on his birthday but talking isn't the only thing on her mind it seems...Done for Renji's b'day...


_**Renruki fanfic: BIRTHDAY KISSES**_

"Oi…are you sure this is alright? Isn't it bad manners to sneak out of your own surprise birthday party?"

The dark-haired girl dragging him by the arm didn't answer him.

"Hey, Rukia!"

The girl stopped suddenly, causing him to almost fall into her. Righting himself quickly, he mustered a frown.

"What the hell is wrong with you? You suddenly say you want to talk to me and just start dragging me down here. What's going on?"

Rukia wondered how she should answer that question.

"You should just do it."

Matsumoto's words echoed in her head. Oh it was so easy to say that…

She'd gotten him out here but now that she had, a case of nerves assaulted her. Her heart was beating palpably in her chest like a caged bird's wings beating against the bars of its prison.

Maybe she should just take him back, play it off and say it was nothing…she couldn't go through with it.

"Kuchiki-san should just be honest."

Yeah, be honest. For Orihime that might not be hard as innocent and childlike as she was but for her it was different. She was older, wiser and a lot more cynical about the world…and people. She had seen enough and been through enough to know that caring was troublesome…and yet she did…she did care- a lot, especially for this person. But God it was hard- So hard to admit that to herself and even more so to admit it to him.

It was asking for trouble. Asking to get hurt again. Even if she better understood her own role in the disintegration of their relationship 40+ years ago, it didn't make it any easier- opening herself up this way again.

But…if she didn't…

The happy loud voices from upstairs spilled down to her. All of their friends were up there, celebrating and enjoying themselves at the surprise party she and Orihime had gotten together with Matsumoto's help…and here they were. This was her chance…and yet she couldn't do it.

"Rukia?" Renji's concerned voice reached her ears. "What's going on? Are you okay?"

The concern wrapped around her like a warm cloak.

How could she have ever thought he didn't care?

"Ruk…"

Soft, warm lips on his cut off the rest of what he had been about to say.

He blinked in surprise. _What the hell was going on_? Rukia…Rukia was kissing him….!!! Before he could wrap his mind fully around it, it was done and she was looking away, a slight blush gracing her cheeks. A finger touched his lips, still moist from hers.

"Ru…"

"Happy birthday, Renji," she cut him off again.

She'd kissed him for his birthday!? That was what this was all about!? That was what she had been so nervous about!?

Wait…she'd been a helluva lot nervous about something so simple as a birthday kiss. Could it be…?

"Rukia…why did you just kiss me?"

"F-Fool," she spluttered, suddenly sounding more like the Rukia he knew, "don't say it like that…and don't be so loud."

_Don't be loud. What was she saying?_ Right now, he wanted to shout from the rooftops that she had just kissed him. He'd waited so long for this…so long for a sign that they really were over the mistakes they had made…Oh, she wasn't getting off that easy now that he knew…never that easy.

"Eek!!"

The surprised squeal came out before she could stop herself as she suddenly found herself being grasped by the waist and set to sit on the rail blocking off the small backyard garden.

"Idiot…what are you doing? This thing is cold…are you listening…?"

"No," he said cutting off her ranting and settling himself between her legs, "I'm not listening. Do it again."

"Wha…?"

"Do it again, Rukia."

"You want me to…?" she began incredulously.

"Do you really want me to answer that?" he returned, "I've been waiting forever…"

The words made her heart sing.

"Kiss me again."

Tentatively, afraid to really believe it, she lowered her lips to his again. It was a mere touching and nothing more but it made her senses feel alive and heightened- breathing, living, tasting, smelling, feeling all that was him.

She started to pull away again but his hand found its way to the back of her neck, holding her firm as his other hand grasped her behind the knee to keep her from running away.

"Not good enough," he stated softly, his breath fanning her overly sensitive lips, "You can do better, Kuchiki."

He was goading her and she knew it…but she couldn't help it as she touched his lips again.

Her uncertainty about what he really wanted translated into a series of several tentative kisses against his. A warm, heated feeling stole through her as he responded slightly, pulling a little on her bottom lip. Her body shuddered. She wanted more too- _this must be the same as what he was feeling_, she thought then. This need- it was unfamiliar but she wanted to explore it- she wanted to taste him…but could she be so bold?

He answered the question for her.

With a groan, he pulled her to him, molding her frame into his. Her hands, flat against his chest, felt the thumping of his heart against her palm and gloried that it was her who had started this hard, frenzied tempo.

He tilted his head, opening his mouth over hers hungrily. His tongue slicked out and ran against her lips. Her body reacted with a delightful shiver. Encouraged, he repeated the action and her lips parted on a sigh. With a single move, his tongue swept the depths of her mouth, stroking over her tongue and exploring the roof of her mouth.

The shock of the move sent shivers straight down her spine, the heat of her body rising with every move until her body felt on fire where it touched his.

She wasn't sure what this feeling was, this sensation unfurling in her abdomen but she wanted him to feel as good as he was making her feel. She was in un-chartered territory though and all she could do was run her hand up his chest, smoothing over his nape and into his hair. With one tug, she pulled the clasp holding his hair in place in the ponytail. It spilled unto her arm like fine silk, tickling where it moved and heightening her senses even more.

As his hand on her knee tightened, a voice suddenly broke into their private haven.

"Ah! Kuchiki-san…Renji-san…!"

Something cold and gooey slopped all over him, startling him so much he almost made her fall backwards.

"Gomen nasai! I- I didn't see you there."

"Well that's their fault isn't it?" Matsumoto stated coming over to look down at them from the window, "Besides, they looked like they could cool off a bit- they looked a little hot."

She snickered here.

_Damn that Rangiku_!

"Renji, I didn't know you had it in ya."

His head shot up at Ikkaku's voice and his whole face reddened as six pairs of eyes stared back down at him, faces filled with various forms of amusement.

He was going to kill all of them.

888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

"God you're face was priceless."

"This shit ain't funny."

"From where I'm standing, it is funny as hell."

The redhead shot a death glare at the orange top.

"I swear to god, Ichigo, one more smartass comment from you and I'm going to shove my fist so far down yer throat, it'll come out of yer ass."

"Well look at it from our perspective," Ikkaku spoke up, trying to hide his own amusement, "It isn't everyday we get to see stuff like this."

"But really," Yumichika added now, his voice nasal from the fingers pinching the ends of his nose, "You stink, which isn't beautiful at all."

In retaliation to that smart comment, Renji flicked some of the goo dripping down his arm at the dark-haired bishie.

"No offense, but he ain't lying," Ichigo reaffirmed, placing a hand over his nose, "You stink."

"Thanks," Renji returned sarcastically before the scent actually reached his nose, "What the hell was in that pail anyway? And that stuff you guys threw…"

"That's your own fault for trying to attack us for laughing," Matsumoto cut in.

"Do us a favor, Abarai," Hitsugaya stepped in now, handing a phone over to him and a piece of paper as the others backed off from his flashing hands, "Get out of those clothes and call a cleaners. Orihime gave me this number for a 24-hr cleaner. This is a list of some of the stuff that's on you."

Renji sighed and took the number, the phone and the list.

Really this was all her fault. It was her great idea that put him into this mess…literally- not that he hadn't been enjoying it- profusely- but that wasn't the point. He was going to wring her lovely neck for leaving him in the mess alone as soon as he could…if he didn't get sidetracked again…as delightfully distracting as that had been…

He shook his wandering thoughts into order. This wasn't the time to be reminiscing about that kind of stuff when he was about to make the strangest phone call ever made to a dry cleaner.

"Need some help?" Ichigo offered as he stared at the phone.

"Shut it," he returned, sparing a glare before dialing the number he'd been given.

"Takashi's Dry Cleaning. Takashi Rie speaking."

"Hello?"

"Hi. How can I help you?"

"Uh…I have a question."

"Ask away sir."

"Um…well, I own a shirt…"

"Yes…"

"…that I love."

"Well, we'll take the utmost care to clean it sir."

"Yeah, well that's real great and all…but just a few questions about …stains…"

"Ok..."

"Can you get wine out?"

"We'll try."

"Highlight marker…?"

"Uh…what color, sir?"

"Orange."

"Well, we'll try…"

"Raw beet?"

"That's tricky but we'll give it our best shot…"

Renji took a sniff of his sleeve, his face creasing in a grimace.

"How 'bout the smell of fish fertilizer?"

"Again, we can try…"

"Renji-kun, you have to ask about the Kimoto dragon saliva?"

The phone almost fell from his hand.

"Uh…can you hold on a sec?"

"Sure."

He turned to the ginger-orange headed girl.

"Kimoto dragon saliva?" he questioned.

"Hai," the girl returned brightly, "I was reading in a book that it does wonders for a mampphhhhh…"

"Don't mind us," Ichigo spoke over the muffled mumblings of the girl, his hand covering her mouth, "Go on."

"Um…you still there?" he asked into the phone as Ichigo dragged Orihime away.

"Hai, sir."

"Well…um…how 'bout Kimoto dragon saliva?"

There was a slight pause and he just knew the man on the other end was beginning to wonder if this was a hoax. God knows he would, if he'd been on the receiving end of this call.

"Uhh…does that leave a mark?" the question came a few seconds later.

"Hopefully not…Ok…um…jet fuel?"

"Ummm, have these stains been set over time…cuz that's a factor…"

"No…it's all from tonight…"

"Tonight? May I ask sir- What exactly have you been doing?"

Renji glanced around the now empty kitchen before softly speaking into the phone.

"Is there such a thing as dry cleaner-client confidentiality?"

"I'm not aware that there is…"

"Well, I can't give ya an answer then…or I'd have ta kill ya."

"Fair enough," the voice on the other end responded, "Will you be dropping this off tonight then?"

"Yeah…in about an hour or so."

"Well then, just ask for Rie."

"Sure," he responded and hung up.

He turned and almost fell over in surprise when he saw a cleaned up Rukia standing in front of him. Blood rushed up to his face as he suddenly recalled their heated moment.

"Um…"

"Here."

He looked down at the gift wrapped box in her hand and at her again. A soft blush was on her face again.

"I meant to give this to you earlier but um…"

She nearly jumped out of her skin when, instead of reaching for the package, he grabbed her arm and pulled her into him.

"I've already gotten the best birthday present," he told her softly, "I don't need anything more …'xcept maybe some more kisses."

A soft smile lit her features.

"I think I can oblige that birthday wish," she responded, her voice just above a soft whisper.

He smiled back right before their lips touched again.

From the corner of the kitchen door, three pairs of eyes watched.

"How long before they come up for air this time?" Ichigo asked.

"Who knows?" Matsumoto returned

Orihime just smiled.


End file.
